Microsoft appoints Bala Girisaballa as CEO of Accelerator

Microsoft Tuesday said Bala Girisaballa will be leading Microsoft Accelerator in India as CEO-in-Residence. Prior to this, Bala was with Globalisation and market expansion advisory Zinnov as Partner and Practice Head helping MNC R&D companies.

He took charge of the Accelerator's India operations, with effect from August 1. Microsoft also announced that Ravi Narayan, Director, will now assume the role of Global Director at Microsoft Accelerator.

Girisaballa will lead the Accelerator's efforts to help market-ready startups and entrepreneurs to scale up and become successful businesses through the technology enablement, global go-to-market efforts and deep business advisory in the form of Hi-Po and Scale-Up programs, Microsoft said in a statement here.

Ravi Narayan, in his new role as Global Director, will help Microsoft Accelerator in eight locations around the world to become market-ready, focused and accelerate these startups that have or will raise institutional funding from venture capitalists.

He will also focus on scaling the startup acceleration model through global partners, it said. Early last year, Microsoft Accelerator in India redesigned their programs to cater to market-ready startups. Since then, it has graduated three cohorts which include startups like iBot, CustomerXPs, Altizon, CloudCherry and Reverie Technologies.

It has also formed partnerships with Temasek, TCS, Citi, Reliance Industries and other multinational corporations under its corporate engagement program #CoInnovate, to help the startups in their go-to-market efforts and global expansion.